A Guide to Co-Teaching with Paraeducators: Practical Tips for K-12 Educators

Description

To meet the demands of today's rigorous standards in inclusive classrooms, teachers are increasingly relying on paraeducators' assistance. This comprehensive guide highlights the benefits and challenges of collaborating with classroom assistants so that students with special needs have access to a highly qualified curriculum in the general education classroom and the individualized attention that promotes learning for all students. Masterfully woven throughout the book are accounts of three paraeducators whose experiences, challenges, and rewards illustrate the unique roles and responsibilities that paraprofessionals carry out in K-12 classrooms. These vignettes demonstrate how educators and paraeducators can effectively collaborate in a climate of high-stakes testing, accountability, NCLB, and the reauthorization of IDEA 2004.

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About Author

Ann I. Nevin is professor emerita at Arizona State University and visiting professor at Florida International University. The author of books, research articles, and numerous chapters, Nevin is recognized for her scholarship and dedication to providing meaningful, practice-oriented, research-based strategies for teachers to integrate students with special learning needs. Since the 1970s, she has co-developed various innovative teacher education programs that affect an array of personnel, including the Vermont Consulting Teacher Program, Collaborative Consultation Project Re-Tool sponsored by the Council for Exceptional Children, the Arizona State University program for special educators to infuse self-determination skills throughout the curriculum, and the Urban SEALS (Special Education Academic Leaders) doctoral program at Florida International University. Her advocacy, research, and teaching spans more than 38 years of working with a diverse array of people to help students with disabilities succeed in normalized school environments. Nevin is known for action-oriented presentations, workshops, and classes that are designed to meet the individual needs of participants by encouraging introspection and personal discovery for optimal learning. Learn more about Richard Villa's PD offerings Richard A. Villa is president of Bayridge Consortium, Inc. His primary field of expertise is the development of administrative and instructional support systems for educating all students within general education settings. Villa is recognized as an educational leader who inspires and works collaboratively with others to implement current and emerging exemplary educational practices. His work has resulted in the inclusion of children with intensive cognitive, physical, and emotional challenges as full members of the general education community in the school districts where he has worked and consulted. Villa has been a classroom teacher, special education administrator, pupil personnel services director, and director of instructional services and has authored 4 books and over 70 articles and chapters. Known for his enthusiastic, humorous style, Villa has presented at international, national, and state educational conferences and has provided technical assistance to departments of education in the United States, Canada, Vietnam, and Honduras and to university personnel, public school systems, and parent and advocacy organizations. Jacqueline S. Thousand, PhD, is professor emerita in the College of Education, Health and Human Services at California State University San Marcos, teaching and facilitating special education professional preparation and master's programs. Prior to living in California, she directed the Inclusion Facilitator and Early Childhood Special Education graduate and postgraduate professional preparation programs at the University of Vermont. While there, she also coordinated several federal grants, all concerned with providing professional development for educators to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in local schools. Jacqueline is a nationally known teacher, author, systems change consultant, and advocate for disability rights and inclusive education. She has authored numerous books, research articles, and chapters on issues related to inclusive schooling, organizational change, differentiated instruction and universal design, cooperative group learning, creative problem solving, and co-teaching and collaborative planning. She is actively involved in local school reform initiatives in the San Diego area, most recently assisting elementary, middle, and high schools in establishing co-teaching and Multi-Tiered System of Support approaches to provide all students access to the core curriculum and early intervention supports. She also is actively involved in international teacher education endeavors and serves on the editorial boards of several national and international journals. Jacqueline is a versatile communicator who is known for her creative, fun-filled, action-oriented teaching style.

Contents

List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction 1. Why Paraeducators? What Experience, History, Law, and Research Say! Questions What Are Paraeducators? When Did Paraeducators First Become a Part of the American Classroom? Meet Paraeducators: Ms. O. and Ms. Begay What Does the Research Say About Paraeducators? What Are the Current Legislative Mandates Regarding Paraeducators? What Are the Potential Legal Challenges? 2. Meet the Teams Questions Meet Ms. Hernandez: The Elementary School Paraeducator and Her Team Meet Ms. Bartolo: The Middle School Paraeducator and Her Team Meet Mr. Anderson: The Secondary School Paraeducator and His Team 3. Refining Roles and Responsibilities of Paraeducators Questions What Are the Variety of Roles and Responsibilities That Paraeducators Take On When They Work in Inclusive Classrooms? What Are the Different Roles and Responsibilities for Others, Such as Classroom Teachers, When They Work With Paraeducators in Inclusive Classrooms? What Is the Paraeducator's Role in the Instructional Cycle? Gathering Information About Student Characteristics Addressing Mismatches Between Student Characteristics and Classroom Demands Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Paraeducator Roles and Responsibilities Ms. Bartolo: Middle School Paraeducator Roles and Responsibilities Mr. Anderson: Secondary School Paraeducator Roles and Responsibilities Summary 4. Collaborative Processes: Tips and Strategies Questions Why Is the Collaborative Planning Process So Important? What Are the Strategies to Make Planning Processes More Efficient? What Are the Tips for Developing Interpersonal Relationships Among Team Members? How Are Effective Planning Teams Assessed? Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Collaborative Planning Scenario Ms. Bartolo: Middle Level Collaborative Planning Scenario Mr. Anderson: Secondary School Collaborative Planning Scenario 5. Co-Teaching and Collaborative Approaches Questions Who Can Be Co-Teachers? What Are the Four Approaches to Co-Teaching That Paraeducators Are Most Likely to Experience When They Help Students in the General Education Classroom? Supportive Co-Teachers Parallel Co-Teachers Complementary Co-Teachers Team Teachers How Can Paraeducators Be Co-Teachers? In What Ways Does a Co-Teaching Lesson Plan Format Help to Guide Instruction? Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Team Co-Teaching and Collaborative Approaches Supportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in Second-Grade Homeroom Language Arts Time Supportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in Third-Grade Homeroom Math Time Ms. Bartolo: Middle School Co-Teaching and Collaborative Planning Supportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in English Classes Supportive and Complementary Co-Teaching in Science Class Parallel Co-Teaching in the Learning Center Mr. Anderson: Secondary Team Co-Teaching and Collaborative Planning Adjusting Co-Teaching to Support Student Needs Supportive and Parallel Co-Teaching in Social Studies Summary 6. Systems Supports for Paraeducators' Success: Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical Supports Questions What Professional Development Do Paraeducators Need and What Are the Skills Required for Paraeducators? What Are the Approaches to Professional Development for Paraeducators? What the Law Requires What a Job Analysis Suggests What Standards of Professional Organizations Suggest What Should Paraeducators Expect From Teachers in Terms of Supervision and Coaching? On-the-Job Training Formal Professional Development What Are Dimensions of Effective Supervision for Paraeducators? What Supervision Is and Is Not Melding Supervision and Professional Development: A Cyclical Model What Are Logistical Supports? What Logistical Supports Help Paraeducators to Be Welcomed and Supported in Their Jobs? Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Example of Professionl Development, Supervision, and Logistical Support Ms. Bartolo: Middle School Paraeducator Example of Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical Support Mr. Anderson: Secondary School Paraeducator Example of Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical Support Summary and Your Next Steps 7. Paraeducator: Collaborative Members of Inclusive Teams Questions Advice From Paraeducators in Co-Taught Classrooms What Opinions and Advice Do Paraeducators Offer? Ms. Sheila's Experience Ms. Andrea's Experience A National Study of Paraeducators in Inclusive Classrooms Common Issues of Paraeducators in Inclusive Classrooms Roles of Paraeducators in Inclusive Classrooms Advice Paraeducators Offer Advice From Paraeducator Scenarios Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Scenario Ms. Bartolo: Middle School Scenario Mr. Anderson: Secondary School Scenario Summary Resources A: Co-Teaching Roles and Responsibilities Matrix B: Gathering Information About Learners and Classroom Demands Template C: Checklist of Supplementary Supports, Aids, and Services D: Likes & Dislikes Team Summary E: Planning Meeting Agenda F: Are We Really a Collaborative Team? G: SODAS H: Lesson Plan Template I: Professional Development Opportunities and Informative Web Sites Glossary References Index